Cats Gone Wild {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends,

I'm ba-ack! Last week, was a bit of a fail for me in terms of blogging.  I just couldn't bring myself to post anything at all.  After working on a few projects for a submission call, I was sort of tapped out creatively.  Do you ever feel that way? In addition, the girls headed back to school- I must have spent 2 hours solid labeling their school supplies and long hours at work kept me out of my crafty space most of the week.

I did find a few moments to put together a card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge.  Since there are 5 Sundays in August, this week is a BONUS Anything Goes challenge.  Yay!!

I love combining Paper Smooches sets to create little scenes.  This card will be the first in a series called "Cats Gone Wild."  So here's the set up... Oscar the cat, spied his favorite "wet food" can in the grocery bag and decided to dive bomb the bag and help himself.  Can any other cat owners relate?

The kitty is from the Nine Lives stamp set which also features coordinating dies.   He's peeking out of a shopping bag that I created from kraft cardstock and the versatile Shopping Bag Die.  I used the can image from Market Fresh as the kitty food, but I stamped the fish image from Nine Lives on the can before coloring it and cutting it out.

The sentiment is from Slang Gang- I just LOVE that sassy set and it seemed to be a suitable reaction to kitty's antics!

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, September 6 link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot woot!  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Katie Gehring

Lynn Mangan

Lori Tecler

Alice Wertz

Erin Taylor

Jenny Mullens

Savannah O'Gwynn

That's all for me today, but I will be back tomorrow to share some exciting news!
Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Thank My Lucky Stars {Waffle Flower Crafts}

Hello friends!

Happy Sunday!  I am popping in today with a card I made with some of Waffle Flower Craft's new August Release- Starry Night stamp set and the Riverside Die set.  

On a piece of navy card stock, I stamped the stars from the Starry Night stamp set in a random pattern with white pigment ink.   I added in a couple of the larger star images from the set for a bit of starry variety. 

Next on a piece of white cardstock, I stamped the outline of the moon and the sentiment (also from Starry Night in navy ink.  I trimmed around the moon and adhered it to the panel.  I set the panel aside to dry for what seemed like long enough, but I still managed to smudge the stamped stars.  I will refer to this as a happy accident because I thought it gave a cool, dreamy look to the stars.  They almost look like they are glowing. Using my finger, I smudged more of the stars and blended in a bit more white ink to the sky. 

I die cut the mountains and the pine trees from card stock using the Riverside die set.  I wanted to make a bit longer of a mountain range, so I die cut 2 mountain trios and trimmed the first mountain from the second set.  I adhered the mountains to a scrap of gray card stock and trimmed away the excess. I adhered the pine trees to the bottom of the panel.  As a finishing touch, I added a bit of white pigment ink to the trees to add a bit of misty looking clouds to the earth portion of the scene.  Finally, I adhered the completed panel to a blue card stock base.

Well that's all for me today!  Lots of crafty plans for the weekend still- better get busy! ;) Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Sequin Shaker Birthday Card {AE Challenge}

Hello friends!  

Well we made it to the end of another week and this Friday is super special because we are kicking off another Avery Elle I {heart} U challenge.  This week's challenge is sequins.  I assume you might have one or two laying about your crafty area right? ;) Here's my take on this week's challenge:

Shaker cards seem to go hand in hand with the whole sequin-craze, so I decided to create a simple shaker card for the challenge.  First, I trimmed a piece of patterned paper from Avery Elle's new Brights Collection patterned paper pad the same size as my card front. Next I die cut a circle in the center of a panel and adhered a piece of acetate to the back of patterned paper panel.  I created a foam tape border around the die cut and carefully poured in some sequins.  I knew I wanted some stamping to be visible in the circle, so I was careful not to add too many sequins.  

I trimmed a piece of thin white card stock a bit larger than the circle and stamped birthday from Simply Said: Happy stamp set and tried as best I could to adhere it so that the stamped sentiment would be appear straight across the card. 

I adhered the finished and sealed panel to a white card stock base using a bit of foam tape in the corners and across the bottom so the card was evenly popped up. Finally, I die cut happy using the Happy Elle-ments die from Fizz card stock and adhered is across the shaker circle. 

Well that's it for me today. Be sure to stop by the AEI{heart}U blog for even more inspiration from the design team and to link up your take on this week's challenge.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Take 2 Thursday (Studio Calico Sandlot)

Hello friends,

Lindsay and I are back today for another Take 2 Thursday with cards we made from the Studio Calico Sandlot card kit.

One of the main images included in the kit stamp set is a darling image of a bubblegum machine- seriously- it's sooo cute and imagine filling it with enamel dots or sequins.  But I decided to focus on some of the smaller sentiments/images in the set and let some of the other kit elements help me out.

First up, a card with a definite back to school vibe.  I made a card base from white card stock and covered it with a panel made from the black and white triangle gem patterned paper.  I trimmed the lined patterned paper and stamped the sentiment towards the bottom of the panel.  I colored the inside of the letters with yellow marker to give it that chic highlighter look.

For the sequins, I feel like I don't always do random very well, so I used a Heidi Swapp stencil (the one with the stars, hearts and circles) to assist with placement.   I attached a circle clip and adhered it to the card. I am still not sure that I love the sequins, but that ship sailed when I pulled out that tube of Tombow glue.  I am sure one of the girls will appreciate it tucked in their lunch sacks nonetheless. 

Next up was a card soooo easy, I feel like I am cheating by sharing it with you.  I really loved the kaleidoscope looking patterned paper included in the kit paper pack.  I trimmed it so that the focal intersection would fall in the card's "sweet spot" and adhered it to a pink card base.  I toyed with stamping the sentiment on a shape and adhering it to the card, but in the end, I decided to stamp "thanks" directly along one of the color lines.

I added a few enamel dots and a strip of black and white polka dot washi tape to further anchor the design. 

Here's a look at the Sandlot kit: 

See that kitty wood veneer- I've got big plans for that baby...but that's a project for another day. ;)

Be sure to stop by Lindsay's blog today for her take on this kit.  I KNOW she came up with something amazing!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Kate

Sending Good Vibes {Avery Elle}

Hello friends,

Last week on the Moxie Fab World blog, Teri Anderson shared this picture.

Just for fun, I decided to make a card inspired by this watercolor van.  First I sprayed a watercolor panel with water and applied some distress inks allowing the colors to swirl and run. 

After allowing the panel to dry, I stamped the van and surf board from Avery Elle's Surf's Up.  The sentiment is from Sending You. 

I adhered the stamped watercolor panel to an aquamarine card base. 

Well, that's all for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Cutting Edge Blog Hop {Waffle Flower Crafts + Pretty Pink Posh}

Hello friends, 

This weekend, Pretty Pink Posh, is hosting the Cutting Edge hop and Waffle Flower Crafts is one of the sponsors.  If you like using die cuts on your projects, then this hop is for you! In honor of the hop, I created a card using some Pretty Pink Posh Sequins and Waffle Flower Crafts stamps and dies. 

For this hop I created a holiday card featuring a cozy winter cottage.  First I die cut the scalloped frame from Surface- Tag Die- Scallop Add On on white card stock and trimmed a corner to create the cottage roof. Next I stamped the gift from A Homemade Christmas stamp set with red pigment ink and embossed a sentiment (also from A Homemade Christmas) with white embossing powder. 

Next I die cut some trees from the Riverside Die Set and the river became a snow covered path.  I added some Marshmallow sequins to create the look of freshly fallen snow. 

I used Starry Night to stamp the snowflakes above the cottage roof before wrapping the stamped panel with red baker's twine and adhering it to a kraft card base. 

Are you excited for the hop? I can't wait to see what everyone creates! 

Here are the details: 

The blog hop will start on Friday, August 22nd, 2014 at 6AM, PST and will run until Monday, August 25, 2014 at 11:55 PM, PST on the Pretty Pink Posh blog. There will be a link-up widget where you can link up your project and then hop along and see what others have created.

For more information about the hop including a list of the amazing sponsors, check out this post. 

That's all for me today! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you see you around the hop! 

Katie

Tribal Cats {Paper Smooches}

Howdy friends and Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend!  Mine was spent running around getting these kiddos ready to start school at the end of the month with a little crafty time thrown in- so it was just about perfect. ;)

I am continuing my mission to put to use previously uninked stamp sets, affectionately referred to as "A Month of Neglect" and today, I have a card that uses 2 of such sets- Paper Smooches Tri-balation and Feline Friends.

I adore the fun patterns Kim designed for the Tri-balation set and I think I was "saving" it for the perfect design inspiration or occasion.  One of the lessons I am learning through the Month of Neglect is not to horde crafty supplies in anticipation of perfect- perfect rarely happens.  (truth)

So I just inked it up and stamped the borders with some Hero Arts inks (Lime Green, Soft Apricot, Tide Pool and Soft Granite).  Next I decided the card needed a little something, so I added one of the cats from the Feline Friends set in black ink.

I die cut a Word Bubble and stamped the sentiment (also from Feline Friends) inside the bubble.  I love that the font has sort of a groovy, tribal feel to it. 

I added a few strips of orange card stock as a mat and adhered the stamped panel to an aquamarine card base.

Oh and before I go, I wanted to announce the winner of the $10.00 Waffle Flower Crafts gift certificate.  Random.org told me the winner was #2- Marcie S. Congrats Marcie!  I will be sending you an email! 

Well, that's all for me today!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Katie

Great Job! {Paper Smooches SPARKS}

Hello friends,

It's time for another Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge! This week is Anything Goes. It's Back to School time at our house and that was the inspiration for my card!

I stamped the images from the Smarty Pants set onto a kraft card base with kraft ink to make a fun background.  Next, I trimmed a wide strip of white cardstock at an angle and stamped the lines from the Notebook Paper set in blue ink.  

I die cut several pencils using the School Icons dies and adhered it to the bottom of the notebook paper panel.  I stamped the sentiment from Good Gab and matted the panel with black cardstock and adhered it to the card base. Finally, I die cut a few stars using the Stars dies and adhered them to the card. 

Well, the school supply shopping is finished and now I have a cute card to tuck into someone's lunch on the first day!

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, August 16 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot woot!  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!
Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Birthday Wishes {Paper Smooches}

Hello friends,

My month of neglect is continuing and today, my dies are getting into the action.  I picked up Paper Smooches Flowers dies, but I hadn't a chance to use them yet.  I kept the shapes wired together and die cut the flowers from green, orange, aqua and black cards stock and pieced together a cluster of flowers. I added some flower centers with the Calico stamp set.

I adhered the flowers to an angled panel of cream card stock.  I die cut two rainbows in aqua and orange and alternated the layers with more cream card stock.

I stamped the birthday sentiment from Happy Birthday in black ink. I matted the cream panel with back card stock and adhered it to a kraft card base.

That's all for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Holiday Tags with Character + giveaway {Waffle Flower Crafts}

Hello friends!

Last week, Nina introduced the August release at Waffle Flower Crafts.  Among the offerings is a darling holiday set, A Homemade Christmas stamp set and a CLEVER addition to the Surface- Tag Die series, the Santa Add On.   All of these Christmas products inspired me to create some fun Holiday Tags with Character that I would love to share with you today.

First up, the Santa Tag.  For this tag I used the Surface- Tag Die Starter Kit, the Santa Add On and the Scallop Add On.   I cut apart the scalloped frame to create some trim for Santa's suit.  The long side of either the inside or outside scallop frame will work for this.

Next up is a tag inspired by one of my favorite holiday movies, Elf. I die cut the Surface- Tag Die on green card stock and adhered another strip of green card stock.  I die cut another Surface Tag from white card stock and used the Santa beard die from the Santa Add On to create the curved collar.   I also moved the belt from the Santa Add on up the tag a bit to give the elf tag a different look from the Santa tag.

Finally, I was really thinking outside the box, and I used the tag dies plus a few stamp sets to create a Nutcracker or Toy Soldier tag.

I die cut the Surface Tag Die from red card stock and added the frame using the Scallop Add On. Next, I punched a 1.5" circle from card stock to use for the Nutcracker's face.  I used the belt holes from the Santa Add On die set as eyes and stamped a nose from the small tree included in A Homemade Christmas stamp set.  The cheeks were stamped from the small thatched circle from the Flower Circle stamp set.  I trimmed the bottom edge of the circle and adhered it to the tag.

I die cut the smaller rounded top tag included with the Surface- Tag Die- Starter Kit from black card stock.  I kept the tiny circle that is cut from the tag to accommodate string/twine and replaced it in the tag to create the hat.  Finally, I die cut the tag holder (also included in the starter kit) on gold card stock and added a bit of gold tinsel as trim for the hat.

Giveaway alert!
So what do you think about these tags?  Can you see them adorning your holiday gifts?  I am giving away a $10.00 credit to the Waffle Flower Crafts shop to help towards your Waffle Flower wish list! Just leave me a comment on this post by midnight ET on Friday, August 15.  I will pop in on Saturday morning and announce the winner!

Here's one more picture of the tags all lined up and ready to go!

That's all for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

Summer Vacation Kids Challenge by Paige

Hello friends and happy Monday!    

About once a month, I organize a gathering of crafty friends for a day of creativity and fun.  My 10 year old daughter, Paige begged to join me for the crafty day, and how could I tell her no?  She was so excited to work on some projects and had a field day going through my stamps and picking out which ones she wanted to play with.

She had a grand time working on her crafty projects and even managed to create 2 cards that we wanted to share today for the Simon Says Stamp- Summer Vacation Kids Challenge.

First up- she thought the Science of Love set from Lawn Fawn was "totes cute" and she couldn't wait to ink it up!

She was able to arrange the images on a block with gridlines and stamped most everything at once. She had to add the hearts above the round beaker separately.  She then colored in the hearts and beakers with Spectrum Noir markers.  She attached the stamped panel to a piece of green card stock and adhered it to a white card base. She thought the card was missing something, so she asked one of my friends for some twine.  Tying bows on cards is a bit tricky, so mom helped her out a bit with that part.  

The next card makes me giggle because she was totally hungry when she made this and was begging me to run out and get her Subway for dinner.  I think that sandwich sort of looks like her beloved 6" turkey sub!  She die cut the shapes and stamped the coordinating images from Paper Smooches- Think Fast set.  She colored in the sandwich and fries with markers.  It's hard to tell in the picture but she stamped the hamburger on the red card stock to create a background. 

So Paige had a very productive crafty day out, but her mom, not so much... 

I should mention that Lawn Fawn's Science of Love set was previously unused, so the Month of Neglect has officially become a family affair!!  Thanks Paige- another stamp set used! 

Alrighty, that's all from us today!  I will be back tomorrow with a trio of fun tags from Waffle Flower Crafts plus a giveaway!  I hope you'll stop by!

Katie

You Brighten My Day {Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge}

Hello and Happy Sunday!

I am popping in today with a card that I created for this week's Picture Perfect SPARKS Challenge.

I was inspired by the lamp and the rolls of washi tape from the inspiration photo to put together this card.  First I die cut the ray panel with my Silhouette Portrait and a piece of white card stock.  I used this cut file resized to 4.25" x 5.5".  Next I covered the ray cut outs with washi tape.  I used 4 types of washi from my stash and I tried to vary the tape pattern for more interest. 

For the focal point, I punched a circle with a 2" circle punch and stamped the lightbulb and sentiment from We Totally Click.  I colored the lightbulb with Copic markers and stamped the heart included in the set a few times with pink ink.  (Oh, and in case you are keeping track, this is another previously unused stamp set, so I am totally counting this towards my "Month of Neglect." Ok, I feel better now.)

Here's a look at this week's inspiration photo:

Ready to play?  You know the routine!   You have until 11:59 PT on Saturday, August 16 to link up your take on this week's challenge to the Paper Smooches SPARKS blog for a chance to win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Paper Smooches store. Woot woot!  

Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the other members of the SPARKS design team playing along with this week's challenge: 

Larissa Heskett
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mangan
Savannah O'Gwynn

I can't wait to see what you create!  

Thanks for stopping by!
Katie

Getting my kraft on {AE Challenge}

Howdy friends! 

Happy Friday! I firmly believe that Friday is the BEST day of the week.  The work week is coming to a close, and the weekend is full of possibilities.  In the event that your weekend possibilities includes some "krafty" time, today starts another challenge on the AEI{heart}U blog.  The challenge is kraft- use kraft on your project.  So simple and full of so many possibilities (kind of like the weekend)...

Here's what I dreamed up:

I stamped and masked the flowers from Petals and Stems with pigment ink on kraft card stock. Pigment ink works really well on kraft because it sits on top of the paper instead of being absorbed into the paper.  I stamped the sentiment in black ink. Next I die cut the kraft panel with the angled die from the Custom Panels Elle-ments.  

I adhered the kraft panel to a white card base.  I stamped the bottom of of the white card stock with the striped tile from the Texture Tiles: Be Cool set.  I just found out this set is being discontinued, so if you have been meaning to add it to your collection, you will want to do that soon.  It's still available here at Simon Says Stamp and here at Ellen Hutson.  As a final touch, I added a gem from Zva Creative to accent the sentiment and balance the card with three pops of black against the kraft. (I may be trying to sound like I know what I am talking about... design-wise... don't be fooled!)

Well that's it for me today. Be sure to stop by the AEI{heart}U blog for even more inspiration from the design team and to link up your take on this week's challenge.  I can't wait to see you get "krafty!" 

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie

S'MORE fun with you {Take 2 Thursday}

Hello friends!

Lindsay and I are back today with another Take 2 Thursday.  This week, we are using the Love You S'more set by Lawn Fawn.   When I purchased this set, I also picked to the coordinating dies, so using the stamps and dies, I created a little campfire scene. 

I die cut the animals, grass and campfire from scraps of cardstock and stamped the coordinating images. I thought about adding some shading with Copics, but decided to leave them as is. 

I adhered the die cuts to a 4 x 6 Project Life title card.  I die cut a stitched circle from white card stock and stamped the sentiment in black ink. 

Be sure to stop by Lindsay's blog to see what she designed with this stamp set.   

Thanks for stopping by!

Katie